ABSTRACTS 363 



73 patients with Entameba histolytica present in the stools only 31 

 also had Entameba buccalis in the mouth while in 254 cases in which 

 parasites were absent from the stools, 150 had Entameba buccalis present. 



Dogs were inoculated about the teeth with pus containing amoebae 

 from pyorrheal pockets. In subsequent examination no signs of pyor- 

 rhea were present and amoebae could not be found. 



Kittens given intracaecal inoculations of Amoeba histolytica developed 

 typical dysentery while those inoculated with Amoeba buccalis showed 

 no signs of dysentery. — C. P. B. 



The Dental Path: Its Importance as an Avenue to Infection. T. B. 



Hartzell, M. D. and A. T, Henrici, M.D. (Surg., Gynecol., and 



Obstet., 1916, 22, 18-27.) 



In a series of acute dental abscesses staphylococci were the active 

 organisms, in 250 cases of chronic abscess Streptococcus viridans was 

 the predominating organism. 



Heart lesions were produced in rabbits, injected with cultures of 

 Streptococcus viridans and other streptococci obtained from pyorrheal 

 pockets and saliva, while some strains seemed to have a predilection 

 for the kidneys. 



In one case death was due to the fusiform bacillus, the organism 

 being isolated from the blood. Another died of pneumonia, the pri- 

 mary infection with the pneumococcus occurring in a bicuspid tooth. 



Comment. Many authors now classify cocci producing greenish 

 color on blood agar, not pneumococci, as Streptococcus viridans. It 

 would seem desirable that the authors should determine whether the 

 organism is the classic Streptococcus viridans, that is a pin head grayish 

 rough irregular colony, which gradually becomes brownish producing a 

 greenish color, in the blood agar surrounding the colony and grows 

 in very long chains in bouillon, the elements of which are diplococci; 

 or simply belongs to the group which produces the green color when 

 grown on blood agar. — C. P. B. 



BACTERIOLOGY OF WATER AND SEWAGE 



The Electrical Treatment of Water. T. A. Starkey, (American Medi- 

 cine, 1916, 11, 181.) 



S. passed currents of electricity through water containing B. coli 

 and B. prodigiosus. He found that the current as such had very little 

 effect on the germs. He used both direct and alternating currents 

 and varied the amperage from 0.1 to 2.0 and the voltage from 90 to 

 40,000. 



He found that the gases produced by the electrolysis did have some 

 germicidal power. In one case the count was reduced from 34,000 

 to 2,000. In no case was the water made entirely sterile. S. does not 

 state whether there was any salt in the water from which hypochlorite 

 might have been made. 



In another series he tried to test the sterilizing value of any metallic 



